The Best Medicine

"I am laughing again! Did you know I could laugh?" She asked the nurse as amazement was written all over her face, her eyes dancing with a new found glimmer in them.

The nurse quietly nodded, avoiding eye contact and doing her best to conceal the grin forming on her face. She did her best to focus all of her attention on removing the IVs and getting the patient ready to be discharged. She had clear instruction to keep communication with patients to a minimum, it wasn't her job to explain everything to them, but every discharge became harder and more exciting than the last, and the nurse wasn't sure how much longer she could hide her joy from the patients.

"I forgot what this felt like. It's not like any of the medications I had been given while in here." the patient trailed off as she stared ahead, recounting her time in the hospital. The amazement began turning to a gleeful shock. Just last night she had her first fit of laughter, and now today was discharge day! She never expected to have so many good things happen in a row! How could she be so lucky?

The nurse busied herself as she tidied up her station. Every discharge day sent her into a wave of reflection. She thought of previous patients, how some stayed long, some left before she could even learn their name, but no matter who or how long they stayed, she could never get over the feeling that swelled up deep inside of her heart every time she heard the first sign that a patient is finally ready. Working here as long as she has, she can know within the first second if what she is hearing is the natural medicine from the patient, or if it is just the artificial substitute the doctor has prescribed in hopes of ushering in the real thing. It never fails to stop her in her tracks, the real thing. She tends to always be in the middle of something, not even thinking, wishing, or hoping for it, and then it happens. In the best way, the nurse has learned that is how it happens for the patient too. One day, when they least expect it, it'll happen, and when it does, they still never realize how potent and powerful it really is.

When it finally does happen, all the nurses will stop what they are doing, meet each others eyes and exchange soft, hope-filled glances. Some nurses have even broken out in hushed giggles with other nurses trying to shush them so the patients can't hear, but there is never doubting the contagious joy between all of them. Then the doctor emerges, nods his head with a twinkle in his eye, and the nurses all quickly shuffle to their tasks for discharge day.

This patient in particular had claimed a special place in the nurses heart. She had been in the hospital for quite some time, healing from repeated wounds, some that would even reopen and bleed all over again. There were quite a few moments the nurse thought maybe she would be discharged, because this one seemed to fight so hard, that for the first time the nurse mistook her artificial medicine for the real thing.

"Are you ready?" the nurse asked her as she set up the wheel chair next to the patients bed.

The patient slowly got up, with an achy body caused by the years in the same hospital bed, and with some help from the nurse she was in her wheel chair, ready to go.

"What made the doctor finally sign off on my discharge? I have been begging him for so long and he only ever said I wasn't showing enough signs of being ready yet." the nurse wasn't sure how to respond to her, she couldn't see her face and she tried to keep her eyes forward as she continue to wheel the patient out.

The patient turned her head to look up and meet the nurses eyes, silently waiting for an answer. The nurse just gave her a soft smile, hoping to dodge the question, but the patient didn't let up her quizzical stare. With a quick glance around to see if other nurses, or even the doctor, were around, she decided to pick up the pace and wheeled the patient out as quickly as she could without raising any alarm.

They got to the end of the very long hallway where they stopped before two large metal doors. The nurse scanned her badge on the wall mount, and slowly, with a loud, echoing creek, the doors opened up to reveal the most beautiful sight the patient had ever seen.

With a gasp from the patient, the nurse quickly wheeled her out, letting the doors slam behind them. There they were, in the most beautiful meadow. The sun rays danced upon the array of wildflowers and the breeze gently kissed their faces. Off in the distance they could hear the music of nature, birds chirping and a running creek.

"Why am I here?" the patient asked as she took in the view before her. She had grown so used to her hospital room, the white, bright lights, the steady beeping of machines, and the temperature being so cold she could feel it in her bones. She spent years having doctors and nurses poke and prod at her, diagnosis after diagnosis, and new medications prescribed almost daily. Then, suddenly, she was here.

"You laughed," the nurse said.

"What?"

"You are here because you laughed," the nurse continue as she came around to meet the patients eyes, kneeling down, she grabbed her hands and took a deep breath as she continued, "You aren't fully healed, some wounds have scarred, but your body has finally found its natural and best remedy."

"But I have laughed before?" the patient looked confused, studying the nurses face as she watched a smile form and tears welling up in her eyes.

"The doctor prescribed laughter, almost like a false and forced one, in hopes your body would produce the real thing, and now it has! You may have just barely begun laughing, but the affects linger for quite some time, usually long enough to last until you laugh again. It means you are finally ready to go back into the world and experience a new type of healing." the nurse squeezed the patients hands.

"But I don't get it," the patient said, desperate for understanding, "I have been in there for years, trying to heal wounds, some still bleeding, being nothing but a shell of myself and all I needed to do... was laugh?"

The nurse cupped the patient's face in her hands and said, "Don't you see?" tears began streaming down her face, "laughter is the best medicine."